


Pride of Opinion

by Kookykrumbs



Series: Fate Binds Us - Missing Scenes [2]
Category: Terminator (Movies), Terminator - All Media Types, Terminator Dark Fate, Terminator: Dark Fate
Genre: F/F, Missing Scene
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-25
Updated: 2020-01-25
Packaged: 2021-02-25 15:47:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,896
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22398616
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kookykrumbs/pseuds/Kookykrumbs
Summary: A twenty-year-old Grace just pulled off the biggest act of rebellion of her young life.  But Dani's reaction was not at all what she'd expected.  This missing scene takes place in the same world as my fic, Fate Binds Us, but this can be read as a standalone.
Relationships: Grace Harper & Dani Ramos, Grace Harper/Dani Ramos
Series: Fate Binds Us - Missing Scenes [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1608526
Comments: 10
Kudos: 103





	Pride of Opinion

**Author’s Notes:** This scene was alluded to in Chapter 14 of my fic Fate Binds Us. I don’t think it’s necessary that you read that, but it would probably add to the experience of reading this fic. Anyway, enjoy!

****

** Pride of Opinion **

****

“Didn’t you hear me, Commander?”

“I heard you, Patrick,” Dani answered, tiredly.

Patrick Miller was Dani’s head engineer of the resistance’s robotics division. Dani had been in the middle of reading one of the latest reports she received from one of her reconnaissance squadron, when Patrick barged into her office.

“Then why aren’t you more excited?!” Patrick asked, unable to comprehend Dani’s lack of enthusiasm.

“I am…. I guess I’m just tired,” Dani said.

“Well, maybe you didn’t understand me the first time. We just made an enormous breakthrough in the augmentation program. We were able to meld the metal we salvaged from a Rev-4 terminator to one of the volunteers. We were able to successfully fuse bone and metal together without the volunteer’s immune system rejecting the intrusion outright.”

“I understood you the first time, Patrick. And you and your team have done a wonderful job…” Dani said, trailing off.

“Then why do you look so disappointed?” Dani’s head engineer asked.

_Because this just puts me one step closer to losing Grace._ “Because this is almost too good to be true, and I don’t want to get my hopes up too high.”

“Well, don’t you worry, Commander. I supervised the entire experiment myself. I assure you, no corners were cut, no detail overlooked. This is the real deal. I suspect in less than a decade, we can have full human augments fighting side by side with our soldiers against Legion.”

“Oh, I have no doubt, Patrick,” Dani said, doing her best to hide her heartbreak.

“I should get back to work, Commander. I do hope you’re pleased with our progress. I know we’ve hit several snags in the last couple of years, but believe me, today is truly a breakthrough.”

“Thank you for all your hard work, Patrick. In fact, I’d like you to take the rest of the day off and spend it with your family. You’ve earned it,” Dani said.

This brought a huge smile to the man before her. “Thank you so much, Commander. I really appreciate it. I’ll just finish a report back in the lab, then I’ll take you up on that offer.”

Dani watched Patrick Miller as he excitedly walked out of her office. She knew the human augmentation program was a necessity in the fight against the machines. But with its existence, the possibility of Grace becoming an augment would always be a cloud hanging over her. She wanted to avoid that outcome at all cost.

Dani was just about to resume reading the report on her desk when her office door flew open and a blonde whirlwind came storming in.

“I can’t believe you’d do this to me!”

“Grace, won’t you come in,” Dani said, sardonically.

“You told the recruiters to reject my application outright, didn’t you?” Grace asked, angrily.

“I told them I would be consulted first on all applicants, I didn’t mention you specifically.”

“There were applicants that were accepted that didn’t perform as well as I did on the exams. This has your signature written all over it, Dani!”

Dani sighed, feeling a headache coming along. “Grace, could you keep your voice down? We don’t need to give the rest of the personnel on this base a show.”

Grace just continued to glare at her. 

“Fine, you’re right. I had something to do with it. But I only put your application on hold because I found an excellent opportunity for you,” Dani said.

Grace just raised an eyebrow at her.

“Just hear me out,” Dani pleaded. “I’ve spoken to James Wang, you know him, right? He’s the head of my aeronautics division. He was very impressed with the paper you wrote on ‘Essentials of Fluid Dynamics with Applications to Aeronautics’. He’d really like to take you on as an apprentice. You could work with him and help design the next generation of Dragonflies. Isn’t that exciting?”

“No,” Grace answered dryly.

“Oh, come on! You haven’t even given it a try. You’ve shown an amazing aptitude for Aerodynamics. I think it’s a great fit for you,” Dani said.

“I’d rather be a soldier and fly these machines rather than help design them,” Grace said.

Dani’s headache was turning into a full-blown migraine. “Why do you insist on doing grunt work, Grace?”

“That’s low, Dani. Please tell me you respect your soldiers enough that you don’t consider them mere grunts.”

Dani pinched the bridge of her nose. This wasn’t going well. “I obviously didn’t choose my words well. I have nothing but the utmost respect for the men and women who defend us with their lives, day in and day out. But that doesn’t change the fact that you’re better suited to help the resistance through our engineering division. There are many subdivisions within it, surely one of them appeals to you.”

Grace just shook her head.

“We just lost seven of our best soldiers three weeks ago in that reconnaissance mission in southern Nevada. It wasn’t considered a dangerous mission, but our intel was wrong and seven good men and women died because of it.”

“Exactly! Whether you’ll admit it or not, you’re in desperate need of good soldiers, Dani! I can help fill that gap.”

“Someone as intelligent as you is far more valuable alive than dead, Grace. You’re not doing anyone any favors, least of all me, by getting yourself killed in combat,” Dani argued.

“You said to me two years ago that you would reconsider my application to join the resistance - _as a soldier_ -once I completed my studies. I’ve done that. You’ve asked me to further my studies, I’m doing that. But you haven’t reconsidered anything. You’re going back on your word.”

“I said that we would explore your options, and I’m doing that,” Dani said.

“Well, it’s been explored. And my mind hasn’t changed,” Grace said.

“You haven’t even met with Mr. Wang yet. He’s got some really great ideas that I think would really interest you-”

“No, Dani! I’m not interested. I’ve had it up to-”

“Commander!” one of Dani’s sergeants yelled as he burst through the door, interrupting Grace mid-rant. “We need you in the war room. Our troops that were deployed in Lakewood just sent out a distress signal. They need immediate backup,”

Dani ran out the door immediately leaving a fuming Grace behind. Grace was so angry she didn’t know whether to kick something or throw something across the room. Instead, she resorted to just sitting in the nearest chair and cradled her head in frustration.

Her arguments with Dani always ended the same way, with nothing resolved. Grace was more determined than ever to get her way on this. The turning point had been two months ago, when Dani had led a mission to raid one of Legion’s strongholds to gain badly needed provisions for the resistance. They had gotten themselves trapped and were surrounded by Legion’s forces. It was only by some miracle – and quick thinking from Dani’s captains – that Dani had survived that ordeal. Grace had never been so scared in her life. And she had felt completely helpless. If anything happened to Dani…

Grace shook her head, trying not to remember. The very thought of how close she’d come to losing Dani made her ill. She didn’t know what was worse, the feeling of fear, or the feeling of helplessness. Grace got up and decided to go back to her and Dani’s quarters when she spotted some loose-leaf paper on the desk.

She wasn’t the type to be nosy, but for whatever reason, she picked up the papers. It was a record for someone’s medical leave it seemed. The name on the document was for a Kristine Jennings. The document outlined how this cadet was injured during a training session and fractured her tibia. According to the document, she was scheduled to return at the end of the week. She looked at the personal details. Blonde, blue-eyed, 5’10”, 130 lbs, 23 years old. She was last assigned to the Weapons Corps. Hmmm…

**Two days later**

“Lee!”

“Here, sir!”

“Gomez!”

“Here, sir!”

“Nguyen!”

“Here, sir!”

“Good, everyone’s here. Let me debrief you all. Our mission is to-”

“Uhhh, sorry, sir,” Grace interrupted. “But I think you missed me. The name is Kristine Jennings, sir.”

“Hmmm…” the captain said, looking down at his papers again. “Nope, don’t see you here, kid.”

“Perhaps there was just an error in admin. I was on leave, I fractured my tibia and I was scheduled to return this week. I did come back a couple of days earlier than expected, maybe that’s why?” Grace said.

“Who assigned you to my regiment?” the captain asked.

“Commander Ramos, sir. I was originally assigned with Weapons Corps, but upon my return, they were well staffed. The commander suggested they could use me here instead,” Grace answered.

Grace prayed to God and every saint she knew that the captain in front of her wouldn’t try to verify with Dani. 

“Weapons Corps, huh? Do you have any experience with basic reconnaissance?” 

“Yes, sir,” Grace answered with no hesitation.

“Very well. Get back in line,” the captain said. 

Grace looked at his uniform which said ‘Captain Holland’. She was familiar with this captain well as she did with all of Dani’s captains. But this one had never met her up close. And she had no doubt that everyone knew that Dani declined her application for the half dozenth time. They would never recognize her in uniform. 

It was advantageous that everyone at the base knew her as the commander’s ward. Never mind that she was twenty years old – people still thought of her as Dani’s. Anyway, that’s the reason she’d been allowed to roam the base so freely. Captain Holland had never worked with Kristine Jenning’s regiment, which was also to Grace’s advantage. To her left, Cadet Gomez and Sergeant Lee who were both good friends of Grace were staring at her nervously. They obviously knew what she was up to, but like good friends, they said nothing.

“Our mission is simple. This is a purely reconnaissance outing. Our job is to obtain information on the Legion base 20 miles south of Glendale. That AI on that base is suspected to be developing new weapons technology for Legion and we want to find out as to where they are in their progress. Time is of the essence and we’ll continue our debrief in the air,” Captain Holland said, gesturing for everyone to make their way onto the chopper.

**36 hours later**

Grace gingerly got out of her seat on the chopper. She felt like she’d just been baptized in fire. Their mission started off simply and easily enough. Things were going exactly as planned for the first 18 or so hours, but something tipped Legion off to their whereabouts and then all hell broke loose. 

They were forced to fight off several Rev-5s. Cadet Williams lost a finger and Lieutenant Nguyen suffered a broken leg. Cadet Gomez most likely had a concussion and Sergeant Lee was nursing fractured ribs. All things considered, Grace had been the luckiest with her sprained ankle. She knew she had gotten lucky. But at the same time, she also handled herself well. She could see the look of approval from Captain Holland’s face. 

She had dispatched two of the Rev-5s, and on top of that, she’d saved the lives of Sergeant Lee and Lieutenant Nguyen, both of whom were unable to retreat on their own. It was very fortunate that although the mission had only been a reconnaissance mission, Captain Holland had enough foresight to make sure they were all very well armed. Dani clearly chose her captains very well.

Grace stood patiently waiting for the cargo bay doors of their chopper to open so they could disembark. She wondered if Dani had noticed her missing yet. Dani sometimes didn’t come back to their quarters for days at a time. There was always something with the resistance that needed Dani’s attention. She wouldn’t be surprised if Dani didn’t even realize she’d been gone. 

The doors started to open, and Grace couldn’t wait to take a shower and get some rest. She was the second last person to get off as she was one of the least injured. She took two steps off the chopper when she came face to face with none other than Dani. Shit. A part of her wanted Dani to find out. What she did was an act of rebellion after all… but she hadn’t been prepared for this.

Grace couldn’t recall ever seeing Dani this angry, and certainly never at her. Grace could feel her heart pounding. Dani didn’t move, she didn’t speak. She just stared at her, jaws clenched. Grace had to put her hands behind her, she couldn’t control their shaking. This was definitely not how she pictured this confrontation playing out. 

“Commander! We’re all accounted for. We were able to gain valuable intel before we were discovered,” Captain Holland said, walking down the ramp from behind Grace.

He obviously did not sense the tension between Dani and Grace. Well, he would soon enough.

“How many of your soldiers were hurt?” Dani asked, her voice sharp as steel.

“All of us sustained various injuries, but nothing catastrophic. Aside from those who suffered broken bones, we should all be back on duty within the next few days,” the captain said proudly.

Dani walked in front of Grace, looked at the name on her uniform. Then she turned to the captain. “And Cadet Jennings? I don’t recall her being part of your regiment. Was she injured?”

“No, ma’am. I mean, I believe she suffered a sprained ankle, but nothing severe. And if I may say, she handled herself quite admirably. She took out two Rev-5s as well as saved the lives of two of my soldiers,” said Captain Holland.

“I see…” Dani said.

“But Commander, I thought you had recommended her for my regiment?” Captain Holland asked, looking confused.

“Oh, is that what she told you?” Dani asked, an almost fake sweetness to her voice.

“Commander?” the captain said, obviously unsure what the problem was, but sensing that there was in fact something wrong.

“Captain, this young lady right here is not Cadet Jennings as she’s led you to believe. Her name is Grace Harper,” Dani said, not taking her eyes off Grace as she spoke to the captain.

Grace tried her best to meet Dani’s eyes, but she couldn’t help but look down at her feet soon enough.

The captain started sputtering. “Uhhh… _your_ Grace Harper, Commander?”

“I wouldn’t call her _mine_. She’s a grown woman and I’m certainly not her mother,” Dani answered wryly. “Why? Do I look old enough to be her mother?”

“No! Not at all…. All I meant was… I mean…. I swear, Commander. I had no idea who she was! There was no reason for me to doubt her claim. I can’t believe I didn’t verify who she was. I unreservedly apologize.”

Grace felt terrible watching a proud Captain Holland apologizing profusely to Dani when he did nothing wrong.

“Dani, it wasn’t the captain’s fault, he only-”

“I wasn’t talking to you, Grace. And since you’re so eager to be one of them, you will address me as Commander,” Dani said, leaving no room for argument.

Grace shut up immediately. She’d never heard Dani sound so ice cold.

Dani then slowly approached the very injured Cadet Gomez and Sergeant Lee. “And I take it you two simply didn’t recognize Grace under all that uniform?”

Both Gomez and Lee merely looked at the floor and mumbled their apologies. Grace felt beyond awful. 

“Dr. Kim, please take everyone to the med bay,” Dani called to one of her doctors that was always on standby whenever a squadron returned from a mission. “I’d like a report on each of them of when they’ll be ready to be back on active duty.”

Dr. Kim eyed Grace hesitantly, unsure if she was included in the commander’s instructions. But Dani, ever the observant one, seemed to read her mind.

“And Grace too,” Dani said, resignedly. 

Grace followed Dr. Kim out of the hangar bay, leaving Dani to speak with Captain Holland.

**Two hours later**

Dani rested her head against the wall as she stood outside the doors of the med bay. After getting over the initial shock of seeing Grace get off that chopper, she had gone for a long walk and came to some very painful realizations. Her self-imposed self-reflection forced her to admit that she had practically pushed Grace to pull this insane stunt. 

She had no right to dictate what Grace could do with her life. She had tried steering Grace away from a soldier’s life from the moment she’d met her – or at least this younger version of her. She’d tried her best to sabotage fate and its designs on the woman she loved, but it seemed the more she fought fate, the stronger its grip became.

Dani, steeled herself, took a deep breath, and stepped inside the med bay. She watched as Dr. Kim finished setting a brace on Grace’s left leg to support her sprained ankle. It only took a second for Grace to notice her presence. The two locked eyes, but said nothing. It was only about a minute later did Dr. Kim notice Dani’s presence as well.

“Commander, I didn’t notice you come in. Were you looking for those reports?” Dr. Kim asked.

“No, Doctor. There’s no rush on those. Finish them when you have time. In fact, you’ve had a long day. Why don’t you go home now,” Dani said, kindly.

It seemed Dr. Kim could sense the tension in the air and quickly mumbled her thanks and left the med bay. The rest of the injured solders were moved to the nearby hospital and so it was just Dani and Grace in the med bay.

Grace broke the silence. “Dani, please, don’t punish Captain Holland or Gomez or Lee…. This was entirely my doing. They’re innocent in all this.”

“No one’s getting punished, Grace,” Dani said, tiredly.

“Umm… no one?”

“No one. In fact, according to Captain Holland, we’d have lost at least two more soldiers if it hadn’t been for your quick thinking and courage under fire. You’re to be commended,” Dani said.

Grace just stared at her seemingly trying to figure out if Dani was being serious or sarcastic. “Uhhh… I don’t understand. You’re not mad?”

Dani shrugged. “What good would anger do me, Grace?”

“You uhhh… looked like you could chew through nails back in the hangar bay. I just wasn’t prepared for a deathly calm you,” Grace said. “It’s uhhh… rather frightening… I would kind of prefer if you just reamed me out.”

Dani laughed, no hint of humor whatsoever. “I was angry at first. But now, I’m just disappointed.”

Dani could see that deflated any argument Grace had prepared for. 

“I don’t understand. I mean, I know you don’t want me getting hurt, and I really appreciate that. But I don’t know why you’re so against me joining the resistance. Your disapproval is so extreme,” Grace said.

A part of Dani wanted to just tell Grace everything. She wanted to tell her that a lifetime ago, she had sacrificed her life so that Dani could live. She wanted to tell her how she’d vowed years ago as she watched Grace as a child that she would never let her die for her again. But would telling Grace serve as a self-fulfilling prophecy? If Grace were to find out that Legion was destined to send a Rev-9 to the past to kill Dani, then she’d become even more determined to stop it. 

“I’m sorry I’ve been so difficult in this, Grace. I know you don’t understand. All I’ll say is that I have my reasons, which, quite frankly, you know the gist of, which is that I want to keep you safe…”

“Okay…”

“But it’s not my place. I can’t stop you from pursuing the life you want. And I’m sorry I ever tried,” Dani said.

“You know I value your opinion, Dani. But I value you more. I want to join the resistance so I can be near you, so I can always be by your side and protect you. Do you have any idea how I felt when you almost died in that ambush two months ago? I can’t ever feel that helpless again.”

“My safety is not your responsibility, Grace.”

“We protect the ones we love! And I love you more than anyone, Dani.”

Dani knew exactly what type of love Grace meant, but she decided not to acknowledge it. Dani had promised herself that she and Grace could be together if Grace made the first move. But this wasn’t the time nor the place. She wouldn’t take this as Grace’s declaration of anything.

“How’s your ankle?” Dani asked, changing the subject.

“Fine.”

Dani waited to see if Grace would say anymore, but she just fidgeted a bit, probably wondering if she’d said too much. 

“So… what now?” Grace asked.

“I’ve accepted your application to join the resistance. I’ve submitted the documents to admin and you’ll be leaving tomorrow to train with Captain Ramirez in Dallas,” Dani said.

Grace’s eyes grew wide, obviously not believing what she’d just heard. “What?”

“Pack your bags, Grace. You got your wish,” Dani said, walking away, afraid she’d become emotional.

“But why do I have to leave? Why can’t I train with Captain Ferguson here?” Grace asked, obviously unhappy with the news she’d have to leave for training.

“Captain Ferguson is good, but I want the best for you. And Captain Ramirez is the best. If anyone can make you the best soldier you could possibly be, it’s him. If you’re going to join my resistance, then I have a responsibility to make sure you receive the best training to make sure you have the best chance of staying alive.”

“Oh… I uhh… I don’t know what to say,” Grace said, obviously at a loss for words.

“There’s nothing left to say, Grace. I just really hope I don’t live to regret this,” Dani said, walking out of the room, and closing the door as gently as she could behind her. 

Dani managed to make it only a few feet before she could no longer hold her tears back. She leaned against the wall and cried for everything she’d lost, and would most likely lose again.

**Author’s Notes:** You know, it’s funny, writing these missing scenes based in the same world as my fic, Fate Binds Us is inadvertently making me sad. For those of you who’ve read that fic, you all know that Grace ends up going to 2020 and leaving this Dani behind. Oh well… I think my next missing scene will be a more uplifting one. Maybe I’ll write about how Grace and Dani first get together, or maybe their first time being intimate together…. Who knows LOL. If you guys want to drop me a msg, feel free to e-mail me at kooky.krumbs@yahoo.com 


End file.
